Mike Bruni, a talent acquisition professional, discusses the importance of using LinkedIn for career opportunities, especially for college students. He recommends including a business appropriate photo, specifying your role in your title, keeping your profile brief while including statistics and telling a story. Students should use keywords that convey experience, include internship information, and consider including a cover letter if requested when applying online. Overall, Bruni emphasizes using statistics and probability to target employers and get them to view your profile.

1. Tips for Building a Winning
LinkedIn Profile
Photo by: Institute of World Politics
By Tafia L. Allah Pringle
September 16 at 6:12 AM
In a follow up phone interview, Mike Bruni of SC3, discusses the importance of using LinkedIn
for gaining career opportunities. His career insight is especially important for college students
seeking non-traditional avenues for locating and applying to jobs.
Bruni is a Talent Acquisition Professional who has spent the last 18 years successfully building
the talent pool for companies throughout the metro DC area. He is also the President of Project
SAVE (Staffing Alliance of Virginia Employers) which is an organization catering to recruiters
and networking. His vast amount of knowledge on a number of recruiting disciplines has helped
companies progressively advance in competitive talent markets.
Bruni reminds the reader that one of the most common themes for job seekers is networking on
LinkedIn. He said, “A student can market their academic achievements and projects by
building online profiles and marketing those. LinkedIn has become the go to network for both
professionals and hiring managers.”

2. He believes students should include a business appropriate picture on their page. “A profile is 14
times more likely to get viewed if you have a picture. Human nature is naturally attracted to more
if you have a picture. Remember: What does your picture say about you?”
Title is important! Be careful using the word “professional” in your title. Example: Professional
with 3 years of experience. Specify your role, i.e. Promotional Marketing Professional.
Bruni added, “Make your profile very simplistic. The more specific you get, the higher likely you
are going to be contacted. Statistics is great on your profile and resume. Tell a story on your
profile. When building your profile think about who you are trying to attract. Example: Project
Manager – be sure to put the type of projects you managed.”
He went on to say, “Use keywords to show your experience. Recruiters look for keywords that
convey experiences and align your responsibilities. Questions you need to ask yourself, when
creating an online profile. “What is your ideal job? What is it that you want to do? What are your
goals?” Students should include internship information. That is part of experience.
When applying for career opportunities, there are so many opinions regarding the use of cover
letters. While, one recruiter may use it as a vetting tool, another may not. Although, Bruni does
not use cover letters as a vetting tool, and feels that everything he needs is in the resume, he
reminds college students, “If applying online and the position requests a cover letter, send it!”
In closing, Bruni circled back to the concept of statistics. He stated its importance when creating
an online profile, and trying to target an employer. Students should “Deal with probability. Think,
what is the likelihood that an employer will read my profile?”
Important takeaways from the interview: image, title, brevity, statistics, storytelling, key words,
cover letters, probability, and internship experience.